American Airlines fleet explained

, the American Airlines fleet consists of 970 mainline aircraft, making it the second-largest commercial airline fleet in the world.^{[1] [2] [3]} American Airlines operates aircraft manufactured by Boeing and Airbus.

Over 80% of American's aircraft are narrow-bodies from the Airbus A320 family and the Boeing 737 family. It is the largest A320 family aircraft operator in the world, as well as the largest operator of the A319 and A321 variants.^[4]

American's wide-body aircraft are all Boeing airliners; however, the majority of the airline's total fleet consists of Airbus aircraft. American Airlines is the world's largest operator of the 787-8, the smallest variant of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

American exclusively ordered Boeing aircraft throughout the 2000s.^[5] This strategy shifted on July 20, 2011, when American announced the largest combined aircraft order in history for 460 narrow-body jets: 260 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family and 200 Boeing 737s, consisting of 100 Boeing 737NG, 100 737 MAX, 130 Airbus A320ceo family and 130 A320neo family.^{[6] [7]} Additional Airbus aircraft joined the fleet in 2013 after the merger with US Airways, which operated a nearly all Airbus fleet.^[8] As of March 2024, American has 331 aircraft on order from Airbus and Boeing.

Current fleet

, American Airlines operates the following mainline aircraft:^[9]

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers	Notes
			F		J	W	Y+	Y	Total
	133	-	8	-	-	24	96	128	Largest operator.
			12	-	-	24	96	132	32 aircraft to be refitted.^[10]
Airbus A320-200	48	-	12	-	-	18	120	150	Former US Airways fleet.
	202	-	20	-	-	35	135	190	Largest operator.
	16	-	10	20	-	36	36	102	Transcontinental configuration.^[11] To be retrofitted into standard configuration.^[12]
Airbus A321neo	70	85	20	-	-	35	141	196	Order for 85 aircraft placed in March 2024.^[13]
	10	-	16	-	-	24	150	190	Former Alaska Airlines fleet.^[14]
	-	50	-	20	12	123		155	Deliveries begin in 2024.^[15]
Boeing 737-800	303	-	16	-	-	24	132	172
	62	38							30 orders upgauged to Boeing 737 MAX 10.
	-	115	TBA						Order with 75 options.^[16]
	47	-	-	37	24	66	146	273
	20	-	8	52	28	28	188	304
			-	70	44	TBA	TBA	330	Retrofit to commence in 2024.^[17]
	37	-	-	20	28	48	138	234	Largest operator.^[18]
	22	-	-	30	21	27	207	285
	-	30	-	51	32	18	143	244	Deliveries begin in 2024.
Total	970	318

Gallery

Fleet history

Retired American Airlines mainline fleet

Aircraft	Total	Introduced	Retired	Replacement	Notes	Refs
Jet Aircraft
Airbus A300B4-600R	35	1988	2009	Airbus A330-200, Boeing 757-200 and Boeing 767-300ER	One crashed as Flight 587.	^[19]
Airbus A330-200	15	2013	2020	Boeing 787-9	Former US Airways fleet. Retired early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.	^[20]
Airbus A330-300	9					^[21]
BAe 146-100	1	1987	1988		Leased from British Aerospace.
BAe 146-200	7		1990
BAC 111-401AK	30	1965	1973			^[22]
Boeing 707-120B	56	1959	1979		Including 25 re-equipped with turbofans.
Boeing 707-320B	10	1967	1981			^[23] ^[24]	date=
Boeing 707-320C	34	1963				^[25]
Boeing 717-200	29	2001	2003		Former Trans World Airlines fleet.	^[26]
Boeing 720B	25	1961	1975		Including ten 10 re-equipped with turbofans.	^[27]
Boeing 727-100	59	1964	1994		One crashed as Flight 625.
Boeing 727-200	125	1968	2002	Boeing 737-800		^[28]
Boeing 737-100	2	1987	1988		Former AirCal fleet.
Boeing 737-200	21		1991
Boeing 737-300	8		1992
Boeing 737-400	14	2013	2015		Former US Airways fleet. Never flew under American brand name.	^[29]
Boeing 747-100	9	1970	1985	McDonnell Douglas DC-10
Boeing 747-200C	1	1984	1984	None	Leased from World Airways.	^[30]
Boeing 747SP	2	1986	1992	McDonnell Douglas MD-11		^[31]
Boeing 757-200	177	1989	2020	Airbus A321-200 Airbus A321neo Airbus A321XLR	Retired early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One crashed as Flight 965. One hijacked and crashed into The Pentagon as Flight 77, as part of the September 11 attacks.	^[32]
Boeing 767-200	13	1982	2008	Boeing 767-300ER Boeing 777-200ER		^[33]
Boeing 767-200ER	17	1984	2014	Airbus A321-200, Boeing 767-300ER	One hijacked and crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as Flight 11, as part of the September 11 attacks.
	10	2013	2015	Airbus A330-200	Former US Airways fleet. Never flew under American brand name.
Boeing 767-300ER	67	1988	2020	Airbus A321XLR Boeing 787-8 Boeing 787-9,Boeing 777-300ER	Retired early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One unsuccessfully bombed as Flight 63. One written off as Flight 383.
Convair 990	20	1962	1972
Douglas DC-8-54CF	3	1971			Former Trans Caribbean Airways fleet.
Douglas DC-8-55CF	1
Douglas DC-8-61CF	3		1971
Embraer 190	20	2013	2020	Airbus A319-100 Embraer 175	Former US Airways fleet. Retired early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fokker 100	75	1991	2004	Bombardier CRJ700 series		^[34] ^[35]
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10	55	1971	2000	Boeing 767-300ER Boeing 777-200ER	Operated the world's first scheduled DC-10 service (between Los Angeles and Chicago) on August 5, 1971. One damaged as Flight 96. One crashed as Flight 191.	^[36]
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30	11	1981				^[37]
McDonnell Douglas MD-11	19	1991	2001		Boeing 757-200, Boeing 767-200ER, Boeing 767-300ER, and Boeing 777-200ER	^[38]
McDonnell Douglas MD-82	270	1983	2019	Airbus A320 family Airbus A321neo Boeing 737 MAX	One crashed as Flight 1420. One donated to Lewis University in 2019.	^[39]
McDonnell Douglas MD-83	108	1987			One damaged as Flight 1572. One donated to George T. Baker Aviation School in 2010. One donated to Career Technology Center in 2019. Includes N984TW, the last McDonnell Douglas MD-80 ever built.
McDonnell Douglas MD-87	5	1999	2003		Former Reno Air fleet.	^[40]
McDonnell Douglas MD-90	5		2005			^[41]
Propeller aircraft
Convair CV-240	80	1948	1964
Convair CV-440 Metropolitan	5	1976	1982		Operated by American Inter-Island Airlines for St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.	^[42]
Douglas DC-2	16	1934	1936
Douglas DC-3	113	1936	1955		Operated the world's first scheduled DC-3 service (from Newark to Chicago) on June 26, 1936.
Douglas DC-4	53	1946	1958
Douglas DC-6	88	1946	1966		One crashed as Flight 157.
Douglas DC-7	58	1953	1967
Lockheed L-188A Electra	35	1958	1972

Notes and References

1. Web site: American Airlines fleet details . January 3, 2024 . flightradar24.com.
2. Web site: Delta Air Lines Fleet details . January 3, 2024 . flightradar24.com.
3. Web site: United Airlines Fleet Details . January 3, 2024 . flightradar24.com.
4. Web site: August 31, 2023 . Airbus Order and Deliveries . Airbus.
5. News: Ruiz . Rebecca . March 23, 2019 . Boeing Was 'Go, Go, Go' to Beat Airbus With the 737 Max . . November 27, 2019.
6. AMR Corporation Announces Largest Aircraft Order in History With Boeing and Airbus . July 20, 2011 . American Airlines . August 14, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170814174749/https://news.aa.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2011/AMR-Corporation-Announces-Largest-Aircraft-Order-in-History-With-Boeing-and-Airbus/default.aspx .
7. News: Memmott . Mark . July 20, 2011 . American Airlines Places 'Largest Aircraft Order In Aviation History' . . 2023-12-28.
8. Web site: January 3, 2024 . US Airways Fleet Details and History . January 3, 2024 . Planespotters.net . en.
9. Web site: March 1, 2024 . American Airlines Fleet Details and History . March 1, 2024 . Planespotters.net . en.
10. Web site: Schlappig . Ben . 2024-02-01 . American A319s Getting More First Class Seats, Tighter Cabin . 2024-02-07 . One Mile at a Time . en-US.
11. Web site: Planes − Travel information − American Airlines . May 5, 2023 . American Airlines.
12. News: Schlappig . Ben . Revealed: New American Airlines Business Class Seats . 30 September 2023 . One Mile at a Time . 22 September 2022.
13. American Airlines places orders for Airbus, Boeing and Embraer aircraft . 4 March 2024 . American Airlines Newsroom . 4 March 2024.
14. Web site: Leff . Gary . 2024-04-04 . American Airlines Unveils Unique Airbus A321 Today: First Ex-Alaska Jet That Diverges From Rest Of Fleet . 2024-04-05 . View from the Wing. en-US.
15. Web site: Leff . Gary . 2023-10-24 . From the Employee Meeting: American Airlines' Strategy for the New Airbus A321XLR Unveiled . 2023-10-25 . View from the Wing . en-US.
16. American Airlines orders 85 Boeing 737 MAX jets, expands fleet with 737-10 model. Boeing Media Room. 4 March 2024.
17. Web site: A Private Premium Experience in the Sky: American Airlines Introduces New Flagship Suite . October 13, 2022 . news.aa.com .
18. News: Nayar . Abhishek . June 9, 2023 . American Airlines Becomes the Largest Boeing 787-8 Operator in the World . en-US . 100 Knots . 2024-01-03.
19. Web site: American Airlines retires its A300 fleet. Airbus. February 17, 2019. February 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190218021401/https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/news/en/2009/09/american-airlines-retires-its-a300-fleet.html .
20. Web site: American Airlines retires A330-200s, defers B737 MAX. Ch-Aviation. October 26, 2020.
21. Web site: American Airlines Retiring 737s, A330s, and More. March 31, 2020.
22. Web site: Throwback Thursday: American's BAC One-Eleven Routes (22 March 2018) - Featured Map. Great Circle Mapper. February 17, 2019.
23. Web site:
    1. FBF: Remember When American Airlines Touted Its Brand New Boeing 707 Astrojet?
    . August 31, 2017. Avgeekery.com - News and stories by Aviation Professionals. February 17, 2019.
24. Web site: American Airlines Fleet Of 10 707-323Bs. Airliners.net. September 10, 2021.
25. Web site: 75 years of innovation and impact . September 12, 2023 . American Airlines Cargo.
26. Web site: American Airlines Fleet of B717 (History) Airfleets aviation. Airfleets.net. February 17, 2019.
27. Web site: The Boeing 720. June 9, 2016. Airways Magazine. February 17, 2019. February 18, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190218021342/https://airwaysmag.com/best-of-airways/boeing720/ .
28. Web site: End of an Era: American's Last 727 Flights Aero-News Network. www.aero-news.net. February 17, 2019.
29. Web site: Production List Search. Planespotters.net. August 25, 2023.
30. Web site: Please verify your request. www.planespotters.net. February 17, 2019.
31. Web site: Please verify your request. www.planespotters.net. February 17, 2019.
32. Web site: A fond farewell to five fantastic fleets. news.aa.com. April 30, 2020.
33. Web site: American Airlines to Retire 767-200S on May 7, 2014. October 28, 2013. April 24, 2020. June 18, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200618172115/https://airwaysmag.com/industry/americans-767-200-retiring-next-year/ .
34. News: Torbenson. Eric. 21 December 2002. American to retire jets early - Decision to ground 87-seat planes in 2004 will reduce costs. The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas.
35. News: Swanson. Doug J.. Zimmerman . Martin. 23 March 1989. AMERICAN ORDERS DUTCH-BUILT JETS - Deal valued at about $3.1 billion. . Dallas, Texas.
36. Web site: Please verify your request. www.planespotters.net. February 17, 2019.
37. Web site: Please verify your request. www.planespotters.net. February 17, 2019.
38. Web site: Please verify your request. www.planespotters.net. February 17, 2019.
39. Web site: American Airlines to retire last of MD-80 fleet. June 29, 2019. July 6, 2019.
40. Web site: American Airlines Fleet of MD80 (History) Airfleets aviation. www.airfleets.net. March 8, 2019.
41. Web site: Please verify your request. www.planespotters.net. February 17, 2019.
42. Web site: Convair CV-440 / American Inter-Island.